


Delphine Realizes

by Abby_nikki1124



Series: Delphine Realizes [1]
Category: Anne with an E (TV)
Genre: Aged-Up Anne Shirley, Aged-Up Gilbert Blythe, Auntie Anne, Delphine deals with feelings, Delphine is older now, F/M, First Love, Fluff, Friendship/Love, Heart Break, Heartbreak, Love Confessions, Mary Lacroix - Freeform, Modern Era, Protective Gilbert Blythe, Uncle Gilbert Blythe, Uncle Gilby, bash lacroix, made up characters - Freeform, new characters - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-26
Updated: 2020-07-26
Packaged: 2021-03-06 07:55:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,606
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25519894
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Abby_nikki1124/pseuds/Abby_nikki1124
Summary: Delphine Lacroix is older now, an independent teenager in her own world. She takes charge of her own story until she meets conflicts with feelings and boys. But uncle Gilby is always there to help his niece at the end of the day.
Relationships: Gilbert Blythe/Anne Shirley
Series: Delphine Realizes [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1852150
Comments: 13
Kudos: 56





	Delphine Realizes

She walks down the same path, the one where she would run down to hide beneath the trees. The same trees she would see her dad and uncle climb to gather those delicious red apples that would be chucked at her brother. Those apples, her aunt would come visiting with a homemade apple pie because it was her uncle’s favorite. The apple blossoms are blooming, it's almost harvest time, she can feel the sun soothe her skin and it warms her up from the tips of her toes to the top of her head. She needed this, the constant pit in her stomach that feels like a thousand pins had been dropped is not helping. She sits at her favorite tree the one that she would lay listening to the stories of her mother from her dad as he would explain; how her mother’s favorite color was a light pastel yellow because it reminded her of a warm spring day, and how he asked her to marry him when he was dead drunk in a bathtub. How she wishes her mom was here, to tell her the prying heartache that keeps pricking her at each thought or memory of what she thought she wanted or who she believed she wanted will get better.

She remembered the way it felt to be seen as something of a mere object, the argument right in the school hallway by the gym. Only the sounds of the bell ringing. It ricocheted against the lockers only the sound of her heart beat thumping in her ears. There James was, she thought he could be what her Aunt had always explained to her about falling in love with someone. But maybe she read too many stories that fooled her. But here she was, listening to the conversations between him and his friends about how she was a rag doll only for him to try to get himself close enough to hit on her friends, like he would even have a chance. She rushed as fast as she could, the faces of his friends shocked. 

“I thought.. I believed you, I gave you a chance thinking you might be different.” Delphine’s voice cracks. But she refuses to cry. 

“I am different. Delphine I didn’t mean for you to hear that.” James gets closer to her, trying to hold her hand. She doesn’t let him.

“Didn’t mean for me to hear that?! That you were just playing me along for a sick and twisted game. You used me, you made me think you could actually like me. You only wanted to get close to me so you can try to get with my best friend, like she would ever go for you. News flash, dumb ass she’s not interested in you and never can be. Even if she tried. God, you’re an actual idiot.” She raises her voice, the silence being unbearable. It was too loud for her, the spilling of her hot tears flowing to the brim. She can’t let him see her like this, not vulnerable especially to him. 

“Let me fix this, I can explain.” James says, trying to get her to listen.

“No. let me explain this to you. I never want to see your face again, I don’t want you around me, nor my friends, near my property, you may not speak to me,and look at me. This, whatever the hell this was. It’s done.” She turns around, shoulders straight, head held high until she’s out of his view. Only then did she allow herself to let that cry that was crawling her way through her throat out. 

She’s walking toward the schools parking lot trying to escape, to go back to her home. The sobs racking up each second that passes. The sound of the final bell rings and the kids are walking out of the halls until she feels someone lightly grab her elbow. She knows who it is, she doesn’t need to look up to see the chocolate brown eyes looking at her with worry. His short dark brown almost raven colored hair and his soft smile. To know it's him. She can feel Will trying to get her to look up at him. She hasn’t gotten the chance to see him since she started to see James and it hurt that she did that.

“Hey Dells. What’s wrong? What happened? Please tell me” He goes to grab her hand and takes them out of sight in an empty science classroom. Backpacks thrown on the floor, Delphine pacing back and forth. 

“Will, please just go I’m not in the mood.” She muffles and it's straining, she looks up at him. His tall stature over hers. William knows she has been crying. Her eyes are no longer bright like honey, instead it’s dull. she’s not smiling that smile she always has on like when he gets her, her favorite ice cream when she’s had a bad day. No, she’s hurt and he wants to envelop her, to make it go away. His heart hurting wishing he can make it better. He knows she can handle herself, but he also knows that when it comes to Delphine Lacroix he would go to the ends of the earth to make sure she’s happy. Because that laugh and that smile is what makes his heart beat twice as fast and what makes his world go from black and white to color in seconds.

“Dells you can tell me. Was it James?” Her eyes look hard and her demeanor changes to stiff, hands in fist. She takes a deep breath. She’s in pain and she doesn’t want to lash out on him. He cups her face, trying to make her look at him. He just wants to see those honey eyes again.

“James, James is an asshole he used me.” Delphine’s voice rises.

“I.. I’m sorry Dells, but there’s no way I’m letting him get away with that.” She backs away prying his hands from her face, backing away to keep a distance.

“Will don’t you dare do something, I’m a big girl and I can fight my own battles. I don’t need your help.” Delphine starts to shout. There’s hurt on his face and she wishes she can take away the pain.

“Delphine, why can’t you accept that I want to be there to help you, to be able to fight through your battles. I know you’re capable of doing things on your own but you have to let people help sometimes.” William raises his voice, his hands going through his hair and his shoulders hunched. 

“I don't need you, and I don't need help.” She gives her final blow. But as soon as it came out she wished she could take it back and she's hurting. This is not her intention. This isn’t right. 

“ I see, I’ll just go then.” He whispers and takes off his head down and she swears she could see his eyes water. 

She wants to call out to him, but she’s rooted there and she can’t find the words. It’s pain, more pain then what happened with James and she swears she can feel her heart break and she doesn’t know why it hurts so bad. Like someone had taken a piece from her, and she swears she can physically feel a part of her leave. It is then she finally feels her break and knows she said the words she shouldn’t have. 

So here she is, sixteen years old crying underneath the trees trying to breathe. To find that breath of air that will make her feel alive again. But it won’t stop constricting. She holds herself wrapping her arms around her, tears falling. 

I should have believed Will, he told her that there was something wrong with James. But I was too damn naive to even listen. I never once gave boys a time of day because I wanted to focus on me. I never thought I needed to be in a relationship to have someone complete me, because I already completed myself. But here comes some guy just as the ones that I read about in the books. So, I became blinded to the idea of what he sounded like on paper, not what he actually was. I pushed Will away, my best friend since kindergarten all for a stupid boy that was nothing more than the antagonist of my own story. In the end I hurt Will and for what? 

The sound of leaves crunch awakens her from her thoughts. “Hey Delly, what are you doing here alone?” Gilbert goes towards his niece, taking a seat next to her leaning against the tree. 

“Just thinking.” Delphine hiccups from all the crying and she knows her uncle will sense something is wrong. 

“Delly, look at me. What happened? “ He nudges her. She looks at him, and more tears flow. She tries to be strong like how her mother was described, she tries to be the woman like those she was raised with. Her aunt Anne, her grandmother Hazel, Marilla, Rachel, her mother’s friends. But she couldn’t, no matter how much she was a daddy’s girl she was always close with her uncle, no matter what he always was there to help with pranks on her dad or would help her with her studies. She always confided in him, many times. 

“I.. I was hurt. This guy, James used me and he hurt me. Then Will came and he tried to make me feel better to ask what’s wrong and I snapped. I told myself I wasn’t going to lash out. But I did it anyway, I knew I should have taken a breath. That didn’t stop me from saying the worst things to him. How could I?, when he was always there. But when I met James I distanced myself from him. Yet, he was always there no matter what despite the distance and I blew it away.” Delphine explained. Twiddling with her thumbs.

“Dell Bell, it’s going to be okay. I promise you, you were hurting because some guy hurt you. Which by the way your father and brother will not let go lightly, better hope that boy got some good insurance. And if I happened to be the one stitching him up, I wouldn’t mind having a talk with him either. As for William, apologize Delly, tell him you didn’t mean those things, that you were hurt.” Gilbert explained.

“What if he doesn’t want to see me anymore. What if he doesn’t want to talk or listen to what I have to say? Why does it hurt more than what James did? I don’t understand Uncle Gil , it feels like my heart is breaking like it's clawing my insides and I can’t breathe and all I want is to soothe that fire in me.” Delphine starts to cry again and Gilbert grabs her, hugging her until she stops shaking. Making soothing noises.

“That’s called heartbreak Dell Bell, and I think you need to figure out more about why it hurts so bad when William is not around or how you feel about him.” Gilbert tells her, wiping away her tears.

“What do you mean? How do I feel about him? I don’t even know how I feel about him.” Delphine questions.

“Well how do you feel when you’re around him? Or when you’re not with him?” He asks.

“Umm, well. When I’m with him he makes me feel safe like I can really be myself and not have to worry about whether I look like a slob or not. I can tell him how my day is going and he will listen. We can share books and ideas with each other all the time and whenever I’m sad he always brings me my favorite ice cream. He always makes me laugh no matter what, then he.. Then sometimes when he looks at me I get this weird pitter patter in my stomach, but it’s a good feeling. It feels like I’m home and nothing can change that. Then when he stops and always brushes against my hand or holds it, he’s gentle as if he’s afraid I will run away and when I don’t, he smiles so bright I swear It can make puppies cry at how beautiful his smile is. Umm but that can’t be..” she was off in her daydreams looking up at the orange sky that’s starting to set. Gilbert noticed her smiling wide the entire time she spoke. He knew this feeling because that’s the constant feeling he gets with his wife, not a day goes by that he doesn't think about how in love he is with Anne.

“It’s love Dell Bell, it’s love. I’m going to ask you this, do you maybe think you're in love with William? Gilbert asks his niece who is now blushing.

“Uhh, I think, was this how it was for you?” She asks, diverting the question.

“It was for me, it took a while but I knew I loved your Uncle the moment he held my hand when we were dancing or looked at me with those adorable puppy eyes. It made me want to melt right then and there.” Both Delly and Gilbert hear the voice of Anne coming around the tree. She sits next to Gilbert kissing his cheek and continues.

“I was scared, because I never felt that way before and your uncle was always right there waiting and finding some way to make my heart beat twice as fast. It was the little things that sold it for me, but he held my heart because I allowed myself to fully undoubtedly trust him to do so. When I finally allowed myself to do that. I knew I was helplessly in love with him even if he thinks he’s better at spelling. I love him like he was my air that allowed me to breathe.” Anne finishes and Delly sees the way her uncle looks at her and how she looks at him. She wants that one day. It was only then did she realize, she loved Will.

“What about you uncle Gilby?” Delphine questions her uncle. She hasn’t called him that in a while and his face goes softer than she ever thought he could. 

“ Delly from the moment I laid eyes on Anne I knew I was going to marry her. I would go to the ends of the earth to make sure she would laugh or smile. I waited and waited and waited and waited..oww,” Anne slaps Gilbert at his chest. 

“I waited, but I didn’t care as long as she was happy we were best friends before we got together, but that didn’t stop me once from loving her as much as I do. As I always will love her.” He finishes his explanation, brushing a strand of hair from Anne’s face. Delphine wants that, she wants to find a love like that. She thinks, no, she knows who she wants to have that type of love with.

“I understand now. Uncle Gil, Aunt Anne I have to go. I need to see Will. Thank you! I love you both!” She stands up hurriedly and starts running off her curly hair getting lost in the fields of apple blossoms and green.

“You think they will figure it out?” Gilbert asks Anne as she leans on his shoulder.

“I think they will, after all look at how we turned out.” She feels a kiss pressed on her temple and both smile looking out in the fields of apples and memories. 

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading, I wanted to try something different. I hope you enjoyed it. Should I continue with Delphine and William's story? But thank you a bunch it means a lot.


End file.
